View source for SS Stolwijk

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Short description|Dutch cargo ship}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship name =
*''Kongsgaard'' (1920–1921)
*''Stolwijk'' (1921–1940)
|Ship owner=
*Olsen Brødrene – A. Gowert Olsen & J. C. Olsen, [[Stavanger]] (1920–1921)
*Stoomvaart Maatschappij Wijklijn – Erhardt & Dekkers, [[Rotterdam]] (1921–1940)
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= Werf De Noord N.V., [[Alblasserdam]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number= 123
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=30 October 1919
|Ship completed=January 1920
|Ship christened=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship maiden voyage=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship identification=
|Ship fate=Wrecked on 6 December 1940
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class=
|Ship type=[[Cargo ship]]
|Ship tonnage=
* {{GRT|2499|disp=long}}
|Ship displacement=
|Ship length={{convert|280|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|45|ft|m|abbr=on}}
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|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth={{convert|22|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship decks=
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|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship power=263 [[nhp]]
|Ship propulsion=
*1 x 3-cyl. [[triple expansion steam engine]]
*Single shaft
*1 x screw
*2 x single boilers
*6 x corrugated furnaces
|Ship speed={{convert|10|knots|mph}}
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|Ship crew=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''SS ''Stolwijk''''', a Dutch cargo ship of 2,489 tons, was wrecked off the coast of [[County Donegal]], Ireland on 6 December 1940.<ref name=wrecksite>{{cite web|url=http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?63229|title=SS Stolwijk [+1940]|website=Wrecksite.eu|access-date=28 May 2022}}</ref> She was part of a [[Convoy SC 13]] sailing from the [[Dominion of Newfoundland]] to [[Liverpool]], England, when her rudder was damaged in a fierce storm. Attempts to rescue her by her [[destroyer]] escort failed and she went on the rocks off Tory Island, County Donegal, Ireland. Ten of her crew were lost but the remaining 18 were rescued the following day by Arranmore Lifeboat and landed safely in [[Burtonport]]. The rescue of the survivors was conducted in terrible weather conditions and both the [[RNLI]] and [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Queen Wilhelmina]] of the [[Netherlands]] awarded medals to the Irish lifeboat crew.

==Construction and history==
The [[steamship]] was launched on 30 October 1919 by Werf De Noord at [[Alblasserdam]] as ''Kongsgaard'' for the Norwegian shipowners A/S Vestlandske Lloyd, managed by Brødrene Olsen (A G & J C Olsen) of [[Stavanger]], and completed in January 1920.<ref name="wrecksite" /><ref name="Marhisdata">{{cite web |title=Stolwijk – ID 6238 |url=https://www.marhisdata.nl/schip?id=6238 |website=MarHisData |publisher=Stichting Maritiem-Historische Databank |location=Emmen, Netherlands |access-date=16 September 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916010955/https://www.marhisdata.nl/schip?id=6238 |archive-date=16 September 2020 |language=English, Dutch}}</ref> She measured {{GRT|2,514}} and {{NRT|1,535}}, with a cargo capacity of 4,100 [[deadweight tonnage|DWT]].<ref name="Skipshistorie">{{cite web |title=1920 DS Kongsgaard (1) |url=https://skipshistorie.net/Stavanger/STG103BrodreneOlsen/Tekster/STG10319200100000%20KONGSGAARD.htm |website=Skipshistorie |publisher=Norsk Skipsfartshistorisk Selskap |access-date=16 September 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911143942/https://skipshistorie.net/Stavanger/STG103BrodreneOlsen/Tekster/STG10319200100000%20KONGSGAARD.htm |archive-date=11 September 2019 |language=Norwegian}}</ref> Her length was {{convert|285.8|ft|m|2}}, beam {{convert|45.2|ft|m|2}} and depth of hold {{convert|21.7|ft|m|2}}. The ship was powered by a [[triple expansion steam engine]] of 1200 [[Indicated horsepower|IHP]], made by NV Machinefabriek '[[Kinderdijk]]', driving a single propeller.<ref name="Marhisdata" />

In 1921, in a shipping recession, ''Kongsgaard''{{'}}s owners were bankrupt and the ship was sold to the Rotterdam shipping company NV Maatschappij SS Rijswijk, managed by the firm Erhardt & Dekkers.<ref name="wrecksite" /><ref name="Marhisdata" /><ref name="Skipet">{{cite journal |last1=Gramstad |first1=John M |title=Firma Brødrene Olsen A/S |journal=Skipet |date=March 1999 |volume=1999 |issue=1 |pages=3–4 |url=https://larship.no/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/1_1999.pdf |access-date=16 September 2020 |publisher=Norsk Skipsfartshistorisk Selskap. |location=Bergen |language=Norwegian |issn=0333-2683}}</ref><ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=5605071|access-date=15 September 2020}}</ref> She was transferred form Norwegian to Dutch flag and re-measured as 2,499 GRT and 1,533 NRT, and with a cargo capacity of 4,175 DWT.<ref name="Marhisdata" /> Erhardt & Dekkers' ships were all named after towns and villages that ended with "''wijk''", in this case [[Stolwijk]] in [[South Holland]].

''Stolwijk'' ran aground at [[Åhus]], [[Skåne County]], Sweden, on 25 April 1922.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Casualty reports |date=26 April 1922 |page=26 |issue=43015 |column=F }}</ref> She was refloated on 29 April 1922.<ref name=Times010522b>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Casualty reports |date=1 May 1922 |page=27 |issue=43019 |column=D }}</ref> In 1930 ownership was transferred to NV Stoomvaart Maatschappij 'Wijklijn', still under Erhardt & Dekkers management.<ref name="Marhisdata" />

''Stowijk'' was at sea when the Netherlands fell to Germany in May 1940 during [[World War II]]. She could not return to her home base of [[Rotterdam]], but continued to operate as part of the large Dutch [[merchant marine]].

==Other convoy activity==
''Stolwijk'' was part of outbound [[Convoy OB 188]] in July 1940, steaming from Liverpool to North America; German [[submarine]]s sank four of the convoy's ships. She returned in August 1940 as part of [[Convoy SC 01]]; again, four ships were lost during the journey. In October 1940 ''Stolwijk'' went back to North America as part of [[Convoy OB 232]]. She was returning as part of Slow Convoy SC 13<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/ports/index.html?search.php?vessel=STOLWIJK~armain|title=Arnold Hague Ports database|website=Convoyweb.org.uk|access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref> when she was wrecked.

==Stranding of ''Stolwijk''==
On a voyage from [[Corner Brook]], [[Newfoundland]] to [[Glasgow]],<ref name="wrecksite" /> ''Stolwijk'' was one of 32 merchant ships in SC 13<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/sc/index.html|title=Arnold Hague convoy database – SC convoys|website=Convoyweb.org.uk|access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref> escorted by six Royal Navy warships ''[[Flower-class corvette|Clarkia]]'', {{HMS|Heliotrope|K03|2}}, [[HMS Sabre (1918)|''Sabre'']], {{HMS|Scimitar|H21|2}}, [[HMS Shikari (1919)|''Shikari'']] and {{HMS|Wellington|U65|2}}. Violent storms beset the convoy from the outset. On 3 December 1940, the convoy diverted northwest to try to escape the storm and in so doing avoided being intercepted by German submarines that had been attacking [[convoy HX 90]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uboat.net/ops/convoys/battles.htm?convoy=HX-90|title=Convoy battles – U-boat Operations|website=Uboat.net|access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref>

At 10:30&nbsp;am on 5 December 1940, ''Stolwijk''{{'}}s rudder broke, and the many attempts at repair failed due to the weather. The anchor was dropped but the chain snapped and even going in full reverse did not halt the ship's steady drift toward the rocky Irish coastline. One of the escorting destroyers, {{HMS|Sabre|1918|6}}, risked her own safety in trying to rescue the crew of ''Stolwijk''<ref>Sir Peter Gretton, Convoy Escort Commander (1964) had this to say about the involvement of the ''Sabre'' in the failed rescue attempt when he assumed command of the boat in early Jan 1941: ''Recently she had been badly damaged in a brave attempt to rescue the crew of a Dutch ship which had run ashore on Tory Island on the nor-Western coast of Ireland in a full gale. ''Sabre'' went in so close that she was almost among the breakers; and one great wave swept he decks, flattening the bridge and taking with it all the upper-deck fittings. The Captain had been badly injured and was still in hospital, but his was the worst case and fortunately no-one had been lost.''</ref>{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}}  and was herself nearly destroyed.<ref>Western Approaches War Diaries, 6–8 December 1940</ref> ''Stolwijk'' lost one of her [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboats]] at this stage suffered damage to the other. A massive wave washed her radio operator overboard and ''Stolwijk'' hit the rocks at 11:30&nbsp;pm. Nine sailors made an attempt to reach the lifeboat that had been washed overboard. According to the official court report, some made it to the lifeboat, but the storm capsized it and only three bodies were subsequently recovered. The remaining 18 survivors remained on board and radioed for help.<ref>Nationaal Archief 2.16.31 Archief van de Buitengewone Raad voor de Scheepvaart te Londen 1940 – 1946, inv.nr. 23: dossier inzake de stranding van het s.s. Stolwijk</ref>

==Rescue of the survivors==
Arranmore Lifeboat were notified late in the evening of 6 December 1940 of the ship in distress and given an approximate location. It was too late and stormy to depart immediately. The all-volunteer lifeboat crew departed Arranmore Island at 6:30&nbsp;am on 7 December in a [[hurricane]]-force [[gale]]. Witnesses claim the lifeboat ''[[45ft 6in Watson-class lifeboat|K.T.J.S.]]'' went over one wave and through the next on the outward journey. ''Stowijk'' had gone aground on rocks called Carraignacrubog ("The Rock of Crabs") just north of Inishdooey and south of Inisbeg. The National Archives in the Netherlands<ref>Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie (NIMH), Commissie Onderscheidingen Koopvaardij (080), inv.nr. 2, Stolwijk</ref> has this information of the rescue from the secretary of the RNLI (C.R. Satterthwaite) in April 1941:
* The lifeboat reached ''Stolwijk'' at noon in very stormy conditions.
* The crew of ''Stolwijk'' were huddled at the stern of the ship and waves were breaking over them.
* The lifeboat anchored to windward and drifted close to the boat and then fired a line to the crew so a [[breeches buoy]] could be used to transfer the men. This procedure was repeated three times as the line kept breaking. It took four hours for all eighteen survivors to be rescued in this way, each spending upwards of five minutes in the water.
* It took the lifeboat a further five hours to reach Burtonport on the mainland during which she was nearly swamped by heavy seas.
* The [[coxswain]] John Boyle was awarded the [[Awards of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution#Medal of the RNLI|Gold Medal]] by the RNLI, the Institution's highest award for gallantry.
* The motor mechanic Teague Ward was awarded the [[Awards of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution#Medal of the RNLI|RNLI Silver Medal]], with the [[Awards of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution#Medal of the RNLI|Bronze Medal]] awarded to the other crew members: Philip Boyle, acting second-coxswain, Philip Byrne, acting bowman, Neil Byrne, assistant motor-mechanic, Patrick O’Donnell, Joseph Rodgers, and Bryan Gallagher. Queen [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands]] awarded the Dutch gold medal for gallantry in saving life to Coxswain John Boyle, the silver medal to Teague Ward and the bronze medal to each of the six other members of the crew.<ref>Elder, Michael (1963), ''For Those in Peril: The Story of the Life-boat Service'', publisher J. Murray</ref>

==Immediate aftermath==
The three bodies recovered following the tragedy were originally buried in the Church of Ireland graveyard in Killult (Donegal, Ireland). In October 2000, the bodies were exhumed and re-interred at the [[National Cemetery of Honours]] in Loenen (Netherlands).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tracesofwar.nl/sights/96929/Voormalige-Graflocatie-Nederlandse-Oorlogsslachtoffers.htm|title=Voormalige Graflocatie Nederlandse Oorlogsslachtoffers|website=Traces of War|access-date=22 June 2020|language=nl}}</ref>

''Sabre'' put into [[Derry]], with sea damage on 7 December 1940. Her commander, [[Lieutenant Commander]] Brian Dean, suffered a fractured skull in the rescue attempt and was retired from the sea. ''Sabre'' sailed to Belfast for repairs and resumed activity on 18 January 1941 under the command of Peter Gretton.

The British ship SS ''Ashcrest'' 5,652 [[Gross register ton|tons]], was also part of SC 13 and also experienced a broken rudder during the storm. She radioed for help but the message was intercepted by a German submarine. [[List of shipwrecks in December 1940#7 December|She was torpedoed]] by ''[[German submarine U-140 (1940)|U-140]]'' on 8 December 1940 with the loss of all 38 men.

==75th anniversary song: "I'll Go"==
On 7 December 2015, Arranmore publican and singer-songwriter, Jerry Early (son of Andrew Early, the last eye witness on Arranmore to remember the day, who knew the lifeboat crew and story well)  released a song on iTunes called "I'll Go", to commemorate the actions of the lifeboat crew.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/ill-go-single/1417298340|title=I'll Go – Single by Jerry Early|date=7 December 2015|access-date=27 May 2022|via=[[Apple Music]]}}</ref> He co-wrote the song with his cousin John Gallagher. It has received considerable airplay in Donegal since the launch and all proceeds were being donated towards the creation of a permanent monument on Arranmore Island. In September 2020, the Irish duo, Ye Vagabond, released "The Ballad of Stolwijk Rescue", written and presented in a 'radio ballad' format by musician Brían MacGloinn.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.rte.ie/culture/2020/0907/1163739-the-ballad-of-the-stolwijk-rescue-lyric-feature/|title=The Ballad of the Stolwijk Rescue – Lyric Feature|date=7 September 2020|access-date=27 May 2022|website=Rte.ie}}</ref>

==Permanent monument==
On 6 August 2017, a new permanent monument was unveiled at Arranmore, commemorating the rescue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2017/0806/895613-arainn-mhor-momument/|title=Lifeboat crew honoured for rescue of Dutch men in 1940|website=[[RTÉ.ie]]|date=6 August 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{1922 shipwrecks}}
{{December 1940 shipwrecks}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE:SS ''Stolwijk''}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stolwijk, SS}}
[[Category:1919 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1922]]
[[Category:Battle of the Atlantic]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in December 1940]]
[[Category:Ships built in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Steamships of the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Steamships of Norway]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]